Sleep after FIRE

[WhiskyDave]

I noticed during my last extended break of work (10 days), that I slept better without waking up in the night and actual slept in later...I also felt more well rested.

I know we have a biological clock that is wired to our normal habits, and it may take a few weeks to change after stopping, but I'm curious to hear how has your sleep changed or improved since you left the 9-5?

Also, did it take a while?

 

[Which Roger]

When w*rking, I would generally go to bed around 10:30 and rise around 7:00. That didn't change much after ER, so I assume that is my natural internal clock. Losing sleep to w*rk stress is no longer an issue obviously, but that's been offset to a large extent by the fact that I don't sleep as soundly as I used to in the absence of stress. I wake up more frequently than I did back in the day, which I think is pretty common as one gets older.

 

[W2R]

I retired in November of 2009, so I guess I'm in my 13th year of retirement.

For the first few years I slept longer than I had when I was working; 9 hours instead of 7-8. That gradually settled down to 7-8 hours.

Then as time passed, I started doing more napping during the day, which resulted in sleeping less at night. I'm still trying to figure out this napping thing! LOL It's fun but seldom planned.

For the first few years of retirement I used to set my alarm to get up, so that I'd feel sleepy at around the same time at night. I'm not doing that any more so I guess I'm exploring an irregular sleep schedule. If I'm sleepy, I sleep. If I don't sleep, then I figure I probably didn't need any more sleep.

 

[street]

Didn't change much for me even after 5 years into ER. I wake up at ~5 to 530 each day. I usually go to bed around 915 to 930. I never get up at night once I hit the hay.

It was the same hours when I was working. I have never used an alarm clock it seems I am up at that time and not sure if the habit will ever stop.

 

[FREE866]

Better and deeper sleep is just one of the many benefits I have experienced over the last 5 years. However, I do make it a point to not sleep too much. Lights out usually at 10:30 -11:00 and I still get up at 7 AM every day to eat breakfast, stretch, pray, meditate, yoga, etc......when I was working could never have time to do all those things...

 

[MichaelB]

I sleep at least two hours more than the average of my last 5 years at work. It’s wonderful.

 

[Dalmore]

I spent 30 years in bed by 10:00pm and getting up at 5:00. Retired for 1.5 years now and I am still out of bed by 5:30am. The fact that I have a cat that sits on my head every morning at 5:00am and purrs may contribute to my continuing the schedule.

 

[Dtail]

Wake up about 1.5 hours later than when working, but don't sleep through the night.
Usually take a nap though.

 

[happychineseboy]

I am not retired yet but I am looking forward to never having to set an alarm clock again

 

[MRG]

Lifelong insomniac. I took many different meds for years when I worked with little success other than being drugged.

After retirement and some lifestyle changes I go to bed at 11 and get up with the sun, or this year it's been puppies waking me up.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I get much better sleep now then when I was w*rking. I briefly took on a couple projects last year and almost immediately started having worse sleep....so I am not doing that again.

I go to bed when I am ready and get up when I am ready. I am usually in bed by 10:30 (but usually read a little before going to sleep) and up around 7 or 7:30. I consistently get between 8-9 hours a night. I did nap quite a bit after I retired, but these days they don't happen too often.

 

[Calico]

When I was w#rking I averaged 6-7 hours of sleep per night.

Since retiring I average 8-9 hours per night. And I take a few naps during the week. For the first time in 40 years I feel fully rested.

 

[djsander]

I used to get up at 5AM everyday and in bed at 10. Weekends were as late as 7:30, however a short wake up around 5:30 to feed the cats. DW said when we retire we would be staying up. We do stay up until about 11:00 or so, up at 5 to 5:30 to take care of the cats then back to bed until whenever we feel we need to get up. Some days 10 some days 8. The big thing is we get up when we feel like it. I feel a lot more rested.

 

[MBAustin]

Definitely better sleep and more consistent. Pre-ER I tried to be in bed by 10:30 to get up at 5:45 for a walk before shower and breakfast, but often didn't get to sleep until after 11. So I was often tired on weekends. It took awhile to get into the routine, but I settled into a bedtime target of 11:15 and my body wakes up between 7:00-7:30 (usually 7:20, which I think proves I was sleep-deprived during my w*rking years). Not using an alarm clock except when absolutely necessary (early flight or medical appointment) is priceless!

 

[steelyman]

I used to stay up way too late (maybe to maximize my personal time). Now I get to bed at an earlier hour and wake when I wake. It makes a difference. I also eat at more normal hours although not the early bird “dinnertime” that the Seinfelds and Costanzas did in Florida.

 

[CaptTom]

Didn't change much for me even after 5 years into ER. I wake up at ~5 to 530 each day.

Same here, also after 5-1/2 years. I guess over 30 years of waking up at the same time really sunk in. This winter, between shorter days and COVID isolation, I've finally started to move the needle a little, and can often sleep as late as 6:00 or 6:30. A couple of times I made it to 7:00.

I suspect that'll change in a month or so when the sun starts coming up earlier.

I do sleep better, knowing I don't have to get up and rush in to work. It was like the frustration of knowing I had a limited time to get some sleep in kept me awake. Now I can tell myself I'll just sleep later if I need to. Even though I rarely do.

I've read that sleep deprivation shares a lot of symptoms with aging, and it's been suggested there's a link between poor sleep and some forms of dementia. I doubt it's the only factor, but there may be something to it.

 

[rk911]

I noticed during my last extended break of work (10 days), that I slept better without waking up in the night and actual slept in later...I also felt more well rested.

I know we have a biological clock that is wired to our normal habits, and it may take a few weeks to change after stopping, but I'm curious to hear how has your sleep changed or improved since you left the 9-5?

Also, did it take a while?

somewhat worse. i can fall asleep in my recliner a lot easier than i can in our bed. by the time i get ready for bed i'm wide awake. i usually nod off between 12-1, then up at 2 to trot down the hall and again at 4. the dog wants out and breakfast around 7 and then, depending on what's on the calendar I either stay up or climb back in till 9 or 10. averaging 7-8 hrs of sleep but it's not continuous. sunday nights always have been and continue to be the worse. even after 16+ years of retiremenf.

 

[martyp]

Eleven years later it hasn’t changed. I go to sleep around 11:30pm- midnight. I wake up around 6-6:30am.

 

[Dash man]

I’m approaching my nine year retirement anniversary. For the first few years I’d still get up with DW and I’d often go to morning mass. Chronic pain requires me to take a Unisom to help me sleep through the night, otherwise I’d wake around 2:00am and not be able to get back to sleep. I set an alarm to get up at 6:30am to start my day. Some days I just turn it off.

 

[Koolau]

I go to bed much later and rise much later. The sleep time is still the same. Oh, and I do get a nap most afternoons. YMMV

 

[old medic]

since you left the 9-5? Also, did it take a while?

Whats 9-5
I have been gone just over a month and having serious issues with my sleep pattern... or lack of one... maybe 3-4 full nights of sleep. Most nights I'll wake 1-3 and can't get back to sleep, or if I do its short naps and awake again.

 

[pacergal]

pretty consistent 10-5ish while working.
Still go to bed around 10-11 but my sleep pattern has changed. Sometimes sleep all night until 5-6, occasionally until 8. Other times I wake up 1-3 times per night.
But, it doesn't really bother me, if I am really tired during day, I take a nap. Thats the nice thing about retirement, sleep when ever I feel tired!

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

When I initially FIREd, I slept well and long. Now my sleep could use some work, I seem to wake around 2am and then again between 5-6 and I'm done for the night. My mind races with all the things I want to do! The freedom is hyper-stimulating. I'm hoping to get back to the 7-8hrs consistently but not sure how. I'm not wired to take naps....yet (both my father and grandfather are/were gifted with the ability to snooze mid-sentence).

 

[rodi]

While working I woke up at 5:30 so I could get myself ready before dealing with the kids, and still be at work by 7:30am. Then had kid/family stuff till 8:30 or 9pm, and any tv/down time from 9-10ish. So sleep was 10ish to 5:30am. But I had twice weekly conference calls with overseas teams - they were at 5-5:30am, and 10-10:45pm. (These after hour teleconferences were a contributing factor to my wanting to retire.)

Until recently, even though I was retired, I still had kid responsibilities - needed to get them out the door to school for their super early bells (first bell at 7:25am) - by bus or my car. So I would get up at 5:30am. I combined that early up and out with taking the dog to the beach. I fell in love with early morning (sunrise) beach walks with the dog. The big change was I didn't have as much to do, household wise, since I could get it done during the day. I found myself going to bed earlier. 9ish.

Now the kids are out of the house. (Youngest is a freshman in college.) I still wake up at 5:30. I set my alarm, but usually wake up right before it's time. If I don't want to wake up, I go back to sleep. But usually I get up, go to the beach by 6:15 or 6:30 and have that wonderful walk watching sunrise surfers. But - with no kids to worry about - I find myself heading up to bed around 8:30 and sound asleep by 9pm. Woohoo I'm the life of the party. Fortunately we have a DVR so I can watch the primetime tv shows the next day.

I sleep well and about 8 1/2 hours per night. Sometimes I wake up to pee, sometimes I don't. I never have a problem falling back asleep unless something is worrying me.

 

[novaman]

Sleep has always been a priority of mine as I’ve tried to solve the issue of my daytime fatigue. I have been wearing a Fitbit to help monitor my sleep and gain insight into what works or doesn’t work for me.

Since retiring, my quality of sleep has improved. The biggest difference is that I will now allow myself to wake up naturally rather than wake up with an alarm clock. I tend to linger in bed now an extra amount of time, sometimes even up to 45-60 minutes, and that has made a huge difference.